Stocks edged lower as a deadline approached for trade talks between Washington and Beijing. A new round of US tariffs are scheduled to take effect on Chinese goods Sunday, the latest escalation in a trade dispute that has dragged on economies around the world.
Media reports suggested the US may delay the tariffs on phones, laptops and other popular products as the two sides negotiate a limited deal. The S&P 500 flipped repeatedly between small gains and losses throughout Tuesday as markets await more certainty about what the rules of global trade will be. Trading in the bond market was nearly as quiet.
On Tuesday:
The S&P 500 index lost 3.44 points, or 0.1%, to 3,132.52.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 27.88 points, or 0.1%, to 27,881.72.
The Nasdaq dropped 5.64 points, or 0.1%, to 8,616.18.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks edged up 2.10 points, or 0.1%, to 1,631.71.
For the week:
The S&P 500 is down 13.39 points, or 0.4%.
The Dow is down 133.34 points, or 0.5%.
The Nasdaq is down 40.34 points, or 0.5%.
The Russell 2000 is down 2.10 points, or 0.1%.
For the year:
The S&P 500 is up 625.67 points, or 25%.
The Dow is up 4,554.26 points, or 19.5%.
The Nasdaq is up 1,980.91 points, or 29.9%.
The Russell 2000 is up 283.16 points, or 21%.
The Associated Press
